Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Part of the Ecology Disrupted Curriculum Collection.
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Biotic and Abiotic Factors teacher's guide
TEACHER'S GUIDE
- A. Introduce the ecological principles of biotic and abiotic factors
- B. Connect the principles to this case study about Baltimore streams.
Discussion
Key Idea: Ecosystems have a natural balance of abiotic and biotic factors.
Question: What is the definition of an ecosystem?
Answer: An ecosystem is an area that includes all the interconnected living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components.
Question: In science we call living things biotic factors and the non-living things abiotic factors. What are some abiotic and biotic factors in the Baltimore stream ecosystem?
Answer:
- Biotic: fish, plants, algae, bacteria
- Abiotic: salt, water, rocks, sediment, trash
Ecosystems need a balance of both types of factors to be healthy. The ecosystems that we have been exploring are the fresh waterways around a city – in this case the city of Baltimore.